The Luxembourger has a strong chance of winning the white jersey for the second year in a row.
An aggressive day of racing unfolded at the 52nd edition of the "Race of the Two Seas", where the riders had to overcome a 210km-long stage between Rieto and Fermo, with a course resembling an Ardennes Classic. Several short and steep climbs with punishing double-digit gradients turned the final 60 kilometers of the race into a hectic affair, reducing the size of the peloton before the decisive battle of the day.
Bob Jungels was among the riders to attack, gaining a minute over the peloton together with three other men, but as the Luxembourg Champion was a threat for the blue jersey of Nario Quintana, the quartet got chased down and reintegrated in the bunch. Other attacks followed, but it wasn't until the last two kilometers that a group got away and fought for victory, which was nabbed by Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), who was followed on the podium by Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo).
At the end of this grueling day, Bob got back in contention for the white jersey, which he conquered at the past edition, as only 16 seconds separate him from Egan Bernal (Androni Giocattoli), who tops the youth rankings at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
